Everything Scuba

8-10 days after the full moon Sea Wasps (a type of box jellyfish) swarm the shallows. They were out in force the first couple of nights I was in Bonaire. They are attracted to the lights at the resort (the wall and pillar in the video are the boat dock and wall of the resort) and on the night when we saw the most I lost count of them but I would estimate that there were between 15-20 of them right around the docks at Buddy Dive resort.

Several people were sent to the hospital for treatment after being stung by these guys. One of them talked about how even days after the sting it felt like he had touched a hot stove and burned his finger tips. He also said that as soon as he was stung his legs cramped up immediately making it difficult to swim.

Here’s some more info
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_wasp

How to treat a Jellyfish sting
http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/faq/faq.aspx?faqid=96

This species (Carybdea Alata I think) is not the same box Jellyfish that is known to be one of the most venomous creatures on the planet (Chironex fleckeri). The dive staff at the resort told me that as long as the person wasn’t allergic to the sting there is little chance of lasting serious damage being done by this jellyfish. They said it’s like a severe bee sting and when people get stung they take them to the hospital to get an antihistamine shot (at least I think that’s what it was) to help ease the pain.

Oh and I wasn’t actually in the water filming this. I put the breathing sounds in because I thought it sounded boring without them. If Jellyfish are around stay near the bottom and make sure the surface is clear then exit the water as quickly as possible. These things move fast and are attracted to your dive lights. Also they can’t sting you through nylon so wearing a protective dive skin would be a wise decision.

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This video was … This video was taken right at the dock at Buddy Dive resort. I was lowering the camera into the water from the stairs, the pillar is the support pillar for the boat dock and the wall is the wall of the resort itself.

the “sea wasps” in … the “sea wasps” in Bonaire aren’t deadly, right? I was told by the divemaster that they can deliver a nasty sting but that was about it. I’m heading back to Bonaire soon and was curious. Thanks.

You’re absolutely … You’re absolutely right. However the word Sea Wasp can actually refer to any member of the class Cubozoa. Not all members of that class are deadly. The Jellies in this video are actually the “not so deadly” cousins of the Box Jellyfish that you described in your comment that frequent the oceans of Australia. While these aren’t deadly, they do give a nasty sting if they touch you. A friend of mine got stung on this trip and he went to the hospital for a shot and he was diving again the next day.

The Sea Wasp is the … The Sea Wasp is the most poisonous jellyfish whose poisoning
ability is far more greater that any snake. They search the
ocean floor for shrimp, and they come near beaches and
swimmers which if not careful may get stung by the deadly sea wasp. It may take you seconds for you to stagger back to shore before you die. Sea wasps are almost completely transparent and are difficult to see which do not dwell in America or Europe but in the oceans of Australia.

Ah, I remember … Ah, I remember seeing a jellyfish once while going to the beach. Not being too familiar with them, but knowing that they can be extremely dangerous, I quickly grabbed my nephew and moved away. Luckily, the thing was dead.

No these aren’t the … No these aren’t the deadly type (unless you have an allergic reaction). Still not something you want to get stung by though. As I mentioned in the sidebar several people were sent to the hospital for treatment after getting stung (one of them was a woman on the petite side that was in pretty bad shape I heard, never saw her first hand though). One of the people stung was a friend of mine and he was back in the water diving the next morning.